Cyber Ninjas’ Doug Logan named national SANS Difference Maker

SARASOTA, Fla. (Dec. 10, 2015) Doug Logan, CEO and Principle Consultant for Sarasota-based Cyber Ninjas, has been named a winner of the prestigious SANS 2015 Difference Makers Award, to be presented during the organization’s Cyber Defense Initiative Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C.

“I am grateful and humbled by this award,” Logan said. “It reflects the level of innovation at Cyber Ninjas, plus our commitment to training the next generation of cyber security experts on a national level.”

The SANS 2015 Difference Makers Award recognizes and celebrates those individuals whose innovation, skill and effort have driven real advances in information security. “While there is no shortage of publicity around failures in security, there are thousands of security practitioners out there who are quietly succeeding and making breakthroughs in advancing security,” the organization said, announcing the award.

Logan was honored for his continued work with the non-profit, U.S. Cyber Challenge, whose mission is to identify, attract, recruit and place the next generation of cyber security professionals to fill the gap within the cyber security workforce. “The USCC is doing great things”, Logan said, “We’re grateful to be able to be a part of it at Cyber Ninjas.”

This past year, Logan put more than 300 hours into working with a few other individuals in the USCC to create a competitive game that teaches and tests cyber security related concepts. It’s referred to as a CTF, or “Capture The Flag,” because competitors must solve challenges to uncover the answers to questions (the flags), boosting a team’s score. Many of the flags they must first capture involve taking advantage of a security vulnerability in order to compromise a system, and all of the challenges were designed to teach security concepts.

“Every year there are a number of CTF events put on at security conferences across the country”, Logan said, “What was different about our CTF is that it was designed to teach real world security concepts and techniques. CTF’s in general have historically been aimed at testing capabilities rather than teaching, and many of them are simply a collection of eclectic puzzles with little real-world application. We chose to break this mold with our CTF”.

Logan said he operates Cyber Ninjas under some specific goals.

“I want to bring new people into the security field to start solving the real problems,” he said. “And I want to educate those I work with to build knowledge and capabilities within the organizations.”

He said that too many security companies do not train but create a system so their clients can’t do anything on their own, and hence they “need” the consultant. “My attitude is if we solve complex challenges and teach others to do the same, there will always be more complex challenges to solve,” he said. He believes that helping out with the USCC is a great, tangible way, to accomplish these goals, while giving back to the community to create a more secure tomorrow.

“At Cyber Ninjas, it is our business to make the world more secure,” Logan said. “As a Christian company, we also believe we have a responsibility to serve, as Christ served. Helping the USCC is a great way to be a blessing to others, while helping combat evil hackers.”

Logan, who moved Cyber Ninjas to Sarasota from Indiana in early 2014, has more than 15 years of experience across a wide area of IT, and a passion for teaching. He both understands the intricacies of the technology, people, and processes and how to communicate the challenges and solutions in a way that management can understand and use.